Managing the Customer Experience

LO 1

1 Why the Crowne Plaza carries out market segmentation and customer profiling activities to determine its ‘target market’

Market segmentation refers to process to dividing markets of potential customers of organization into group or segment on the basis of different characteristics (Klaus and Maklan, 2013). Customer profiling is used by firm to identify its customers which help them in making designing decision of concerning services.

These activities are carried out by Crowne Plaza to determine target market. Target market is group of customers or companies who mostly interested in buying the respective organization products and services. Their are several reasons why Crowne Plaza carries out market segment and customer profiling to determine their target market:-  

• Identify Customer's needs:-Through these activities Crowne Plaza can match its customers need better and make strategy and plan according to that.
• Enhance profit:- Customers are price sensitive and by these activities Crowne Plaza can design average price and subsequently increase profit.
• Retain Customers:- On the basis of these activities Crowne Plaza design different strategies to retain their old customers and attract new customers.  

Induction Pack Introduction of the company:- www.crowneplaza.com Company and its category location:- Crowne Plaza; Location:- China and Japan Vision:- To be the first choice for guests, colleagues, shareholders and business partners. Size:- Around 40,000 employees Customer base:-  Crowne Plaza found overall increase of 16% in revenue across all its properties, a 10% lift in booking and a 5% increase in unique site visitors. Role of Guest relations:- · Greeting clients when they arrive. · Coordinating check ins to assigned room · Inform them about hotel facilities

2 Examine different ways in which customers can be profiled, and how the wants, needs and expectations of the ‘target market’ drive the products and services offer of Crowne Plaza

Customer segmentation include activities through which an organization can divide customers or business market on the basis of relevant specific ways such as age, interest and spending habits etc. for marketing (Lemon and Verhoef, 2016). There are different ways through which customers are profiled, their needs, wants and expectations of products and services offered by Crowne Plaza, target market derive by respective company are describe below:-

Geographical:-

Through this segmentation Crowne Plaza can Choose products and services they want to offer specially for audiences in particular locations, targeted location of the respective company are Chinese  and Japanese market.

Demographical:-

It is segmentation of market which is based on certain characteristics like age, gender, race, religions education, income etc. of the audience. This segmentation of  Crowne Plaza is based following character:

• Age- Target audience age group is 30 to 40 years.
• Income- They focus on audiences whose income level is 90,000.
• Education- Education of target audience is postgraduate.

Psychological:-

Through this segment Crowne Plaza divide the market on basis of lifestyle, values, social class and personality.

' Through all the above segmentation Crowne Plaza can identify appropriate wants, needs and expectations of their target market or audience and according to that they can make products and services of their organization that they offer to them.

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3 Evaluate drivers of customer engagement across a range of different target customer groups for Crowne Plaza.

Customer engagement is a form of business communication connection between  customers and an organization through different channels of correspondence. This communication connection can be a reaction, interaction, effect overall experience of customers which can be done through online or offline (Wilson, Zeithaml, Bitner and Gremler2012).  There are various drivers of customers engagement some of the major drivers use by Crowne Plaza are describe below:-

Active on social media:- 

The Crowne Plaza must be active on social media and respond each and every inquiry of customers, which help them in analysing the values and needs of customers and they can design strategy accordingly.

Create powerful content:-  

The respective company must frame some powerful content because each line of content support and enhance the brand image and name. The content of the company also attract customers and they fell connected.

Educate front desk team:-

The Crowne Plaza must allows company sales team to educate their front desk team so that they know how to develop relationship with customers or clients (Silver, 2012).

4 Conclude by reviewing the different strategies that are employed for on-boarding these diverse customers.

The above mention drivers of employee engagement which is used by Crowne Plaza help company and management to attract and retain customers. It is also beneficial for company in various manners such as- helps in understanding customers needs and expectations, respective firm can discover factors which encourage customers involvement, by it Crowne Plaza enhance their brand loyalty and reputation of company, through employees engagement respective firm can reduce churn, increase retention and identify sell opportunities, through it company can acquire new customers through strategies and word of mouth marketing etc.

LO 2-  Customer Experience Map

1 Fully document of customer’s journey from first contact with Crowne Plaza to exit

Customer experience map refers to the visual representation of each and every experience of customers with an organisation. It is helpful to know story of customers experience with an organization from original engagement and into a long term relationship with hope (Homburg, Joziġ and Kuehnl, 2017). The customer journey of Crowne Plaza customers from first contact to exit are describe below:-

• Research and planning:-First customer visit Crowne Plaza website to know about accommodation and other services and products they offer such as price according to facilities, hotel services like gym, pool, garden etc.
• Booking and Pre Travel:-After getting satisfy with offer services customer will make call at reception area to book their room according to requirement and by mail Crown Plaza send E-tickets  to their customers.
• During Travel:-At the date of booking customer arrived at Crowne Plaza and love offered services such at comfortable beds, clean room, good room services, laundry services, gym, open garden area, etc. They stay three days and two night, quality of food is good of respective hotel and it is like by their customers.
• Post Travel:-When after three days customers are leaving their room staff of hotel ask for feedback and behaviour of staff are very well all over journey. The package or price of room offered by Crowne Plaza is affordable, that almost every income group can afford it.

2  Identify all of the touch points when customers interact with the business.

Touch point are those points on which customers interact with the company on various level at many places (Rose, Clark, Samouel and Hair, 2012). This interaction can be done by both company as well as customers. It is necessary for company to do their marketing and branding strategy to build their brand value and image. It is beneficial for customers as well to get essential information. The touch point of customers with Crowne Plaza are mentioned below:-

Purchase:-

Customers can contact to Crowne Plaza when they want to do purchase or book room or any services.

Information Search:-

customers can contact to the respective hotel when they want to collect information about the hotel's product and services.

Feedback:-  

The customers can also get in touch with Crowne Plaza when they want to give feedbacks of services and products, feedback can be positive or negative.

Quarries:-

 When there is any quarries occur customer will directly contact to the respective company and it is duty of hotel to solve quarries of their customers.

LO 2-   Customer Touch-points

1 At a satisfactory level

Customer touch point is brand point of customer which is from start to finish (Bagdare and Jain, 2013). The customer touch- point help Crowne Plaza to create business opportunities, which are mentioned below:-

• Through touch point Crowne Plaza understand their customers and make strategy and plans accordingly which help respective firm in growth and through it they earn more profit.
• Through appropriate customer touch point the respective company make their loyal customer which do word of mouth marketing that help them to enhance their business.
• The effective customer touch point help Crowne Plaza to identify current needs and wants of customers on basis of that respective company make strategies and plan which enhance level of Crowne Plaza from its competitors and also increase its business.

2 At a good level

By analyzing and examine of activities and actions on the basis of each customer touch point help Crowne Plaza to enhance their business like if some customer gives feedback that they didn't like quality of food (Blázquez, 2014). In this case respective company first do evaluation of all feedback and if it seems reasonable they make strategies and plan to get over it and this improvement will help Crowne Plaza in enhancing their business. By doing this type of activities the respective company increase their business.

3 At an advanced level

By enhancing quality services and taking corrective and appropriate actions on the basis of customers review the Crowne Plaza can optimize each of their customer touch point which influence behavior, responses and actions of their customers and enhance their experience which help respective company in growth.

Conclusion

From the above discussion it is conclude that Crowne Plaza do its market segment on basis  of geographical, demo graphical and psychological segmentation, they adopt various drivers of customers engagement which help them in enhancing their business. The respective company also analysis customer experience map which include experience of customer from starting to end. Crowne Plaza also evaluate their customer touch point to identify how it help to increase the business.

References

• Peppers, D. and Rogers, M., 2016. Managing customer experience and relationships: A strategic framework. John Wiley & Sons.
• Klaus, P.P. and Maklan, S., 2013. Towards a better measure of customer experience. International Journal of Market Research. 55(2). pp.227-246.
• Lemon, K.N. and Verhoef, P.C., 2016. Understanding customer experience throughout the customer journey. Journal of Marketing. 80(6). pp.69-96.
• Wilson, A., Zeithaml, V.A., Bitner, M.J. and Gremler, D.D., 2012. Services marketing: Integrating customer focus across the firm (No. 2nd Eu). McGraw Hill.
• Silver, A., 2012. System and method for managing restaurant customer data elements. U.S. Patent 8,224,700.
• Homburg, C., JoziÄ¡, D. and Kuehnl, C., 2017. Customer experience management: toward implementing an evolving marketing concept. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. 45(3). pp.377-401.